I'm sticking with my Wilson Benesch Vertex Loudspeakers mated with the W-B Torus System.
Have you found your "End-Game" speakers yet? I have. And it feels so good!!!
Yes indeed. Several years ago, the absolutely incredible Revel Salon 2 speakers finally took me off the speaker merry-go-round. I do believe that I'll be taking my Revel Salon 2 speakers to the grave with me. What's your end-game speakers?
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Vandersteen Quatros in the living room. Very refined and open. Jean Marie Reynaud Bliss Silver with Rel sub in the study. More pressurized. Love both rigs. The Quatro Wood CTs are probably end game. They were a budget stretch. I'm loving the JMR Bliss Silvers but will probably upgrade to Proac D3rs in a year or so. |
I owned a pair of Martin Logan Monoliths, but wanted a more in your face sound. Purchased a pair of Wilson Maxx II’s and love them. My son recently purchased a pair of Martin Logan’s, now I’m missing mine. I have a pair of Klipschorns just taking up space. Thinking about getting a couple tube monoblocks for them. |
@kennymacc Congratulations on finding your endgame speakers. What a joy to complete a big equipment search and move on to the music again! +1 Reference 3A mm de Capo I’ve been drawn all my life to time aligned speaker designs using simple crossovers. My first high end speakers were Spica T50s, which I loved driven by Counterpoint tube pre and amp. I had Mike Elliot upgrade the Counterpoint components, which I kept until we moved 10 years ago to a high rise condo where my listening room is too small for all the components of a separates system. I’ve owned Thiel and Vandersteen speakers, both time-aligned designs that, to my ear, outperformed all the traditional box speakers I experimented with in the 30 years I ran the Counterpoints. Maggie 1.6s and a pair of heavily modified Oscar Heil designed ESS Transars sounded wonderful with my electronics, but I always found myself returning to various Vandersteens. When I moved 10 years ago, I spent an intense weekend at AXPONA looking for my new system. I needed a single box solution, with integrated DAC and phono stage. Although full function integrated amps are commonplace these days, the only two with audiophile chops available at the time were the Devialet and Vinnie Rossi. I bought the Devialet show unit and late Sunday afternoon took it up to the Reference 3A room where Tash Goka allowed me opportunity to listen to it drive the mm de capos, my favorite bookshelves at the show. To my ear, the combo sings beautifully and I brought it home. In time, I grew frustrated with the phono section in the Devialet and made room on my small rack for a dedicated phono section. I’m tinkering with phono sections still (mostly because I love the audiophile hobby and like exploring and experimenting), but I’m fully satisfied with the time aligned, no crossover de capos, which I currently expect will be my last speakers, not because they are the best on the planet, but because they suit my personal sound preferences and match well with my electronics, and because I have come to terms with the reality that my listening room will not accommodate a system that can handle effectively the most demanding of musical passages. In my case, end game speakers is not the acquisition of the very finest speakers made, but rather the identification and acquisition of a pair of speakers that matches my sonic preferences and works in the room in which they play. Life is compromise: we love our new pad and for 95% of the music I love, I fully enjoy my listening room and system with the Reference 3A mm de capo speakers. I daresay they fit my needs perfectly. |
I have the "end game" that I can afford, Dynaudio Confidence C1 Platinum. I abosultely love them. But if money were no object, I would definitely get into a pair of Børresen 01 Silver Supreme Edition. The most amazing sounding speaker I have ever heard at AXPONA. But I don't have $60k for a stand mount speaker. |
+1 re: the Linkwitz Orion's! While I like my Harbeth 40.2's and Legacy Calibre's - I think the Orion's (or the LX521's) may edge them out, when set up properly with the right room / acoustic treatments. The only other speakers I have an interest in are the ATC SCM100-150 ASLT's - but, are cost prohibitive. Though... there will always be those that I'd like to demo for a while. |
Traded up from Volti Razz to Magico A3 and very pleased. End game? I’m not sure but, I went to an audio show in Dallas and didn’t heard anything I would consider end game. The A3 has enough low end in my smallish listening space that I don’t yearn for sub(s). Frequently response is exceptional a I’m still breaking them in. At 71, the A3 may be end game. My wife thinks so anyway. 😆 |
@skinzy - Thank you for launching this thought exercise for me. Winning the lottery at this point would probably result in:
If I were twenty years younger, this would be augmented by probably second and third homes and a large system for one of them built around tubes (Audio Research) and vinyl (and a request to @ghdprentice and @mikelavigne for lots of guidance). Somewhere in there we would get around to price-no-object speakers…Along the way, I would want to try Klipschorns and La Scalas, big Maggies with subs, and one or more electrostatics—all to satisfy about 45 years’ worth of curiosity. I imagine that this would be lots of fun and incredibly time-consuming. I might even venture into the world of hoity-toity cabling and vibration isolation for non-turntable items. Since I am not twenty years younger (I am 61), I would rather spend the time and energy I have left on woodworking projects and travel, rather than amassing lots of gear that will eventually be a burden to my son after I move on. AND—since I am not going to win the lottery, I am very thankful to have the system I have, which checks all my boxes and puts a smile on my face every time I turn it on. |
Ariel Acoustics 7T's driven by ARC components have been "berry, berry good to me." We are moving to a new house this month, and I am looking forward to setting things up in a new catherdral ceiling venue. Some acoustical improvements to the room, and the addition of a pair of REL subs should expand my contentment. At 75, the balance between my listening, photographic acquisitions, and various automotive conveyances is complete (who said that?!). I hope to expire many years from now whilst sitting in The Chair like the guy in the 80's Maxell commercial. Yippee! |
Rather than replacing the speakers that I’ve really liked, I’ve simply added more systems around the house. We don’t have a “listening space”. We listen all over the house. So we have systems all over the house, including larger outdoor speakers under the eaves in front and back yards (no neighbors for half a mile). We have over a dozen pairs set up in the house, and we still rotate others in at least every few months. We have found that when the music is what’s involving, not the equipment, it’s possible to really enjoy well designed speakers at modest price points. The least expensive speakers currently set up are JBL L110, the most expensive are JBL again, the Everest DD67000. In between are Tannoys, Salon 2, Dynaudio Heritage Special, Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2EX, Altec Valencia and several others. As my dad used to say at family gatherings, “There’s not a dud in the bunch.” It’s only for particularly demanding pieces of music (Bach organ concerti or extremely dynamic orchestral works, for instance) that the Everests or 4350s might be required. At any rate, the system that gets the most use could be replaced for about $3k - Akitika preamp, Elekit 300b SET amp, Altec Valencia speakers. Bedroom system, it averages 6-8 hours per day. That system would meet most people’s requirements 95% of the time. The other 5% is what drives us to the insane level OCD behavior that we exhibit. |
I’m extremely happy with my Dynaudio Heritage Special’s , don’t see myself changing them. I can listen for hours with no fatigue. Also at 64 I don’t want big speakers that I can’t move. I live in a smallish apartment, expect I will never own a big house again. I’ve been using the Dynaudio’s with a REL S/510.. even that’s too big. If I can’t move something myself I’ll have to pass. I plan on selling my S/510 and probably getting REL’s new Classic 98. |
I think I have my "forever" loudspeakers in my custom built Linkwitz Orions. I've never heard anything I like better for voices or acoustic piano. They have exceptional dynamics as well. |
Your in between speaker becomes your endgame speaker if you can't find anything that's better in all respects. Got Eminent Technology ET8's in the last century and now they're upgraded to the Super 8 (added backward firing woofers). So happy to see open baffle speakers mentioned. There's no box like no box. Even on YouTube, you can hear the difference when you get rid of the box. Planars like ET8 or Maggies are naturally included.
OP: could you post the rest of your system in the Systems portion of Audiogon? |
I will chime in. Not sure if they are really my "end game" speaker, but they are so very close to perfection, especially considering price. My GR Research NX-Tremes are stunning. Add in the twin Triple Threat subwoofers and you approach nirvana. Now, I have heard $100k plus speakers that better them in some aspects, but barely. For +/- $10k DIY, they are a steal. I have has dynamic, ribbon, electrostatic, and now Open Baffle speakers. I think there is something magical about OB designs. Of course, I said similar things about my Sanders Sound 10Cs. |
You can never trust any audiophile's claim of having found "end game gear" until they are dead and buried. Until then, it's an open (and dubious) proposition :-) I'm sort of "end gamed" for the moment, having been mostly priced out of upgrades. So I'm very happy with my Joseph Audio Perspective 2 speakers. I also have my Thiel 2.7 speakers, which I've had for a long time now. I cant see every getting rid of them as they are my "fall back" speaker - one that just seems to do most things right, almost nothing wrong, and I dearly love their sound. Keeping them around allowed me to be more open to trying other speakers - if I made a major mistake with a speaker purchase, at least I didn't get rid of the Thiels, and they will always bee there.
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I've had my used Dali Euphonia MS5 speakers for a few years now. I've added a 4 sub array. I'm still blown away every time I sit and listen. I always have a big smile on my face. I've noticed a couple pair on sale right now for a darn good price. These babies can be Tri-wired, which I've done. Most every set I've seen, the owners have either wired them wrong, or never tried tri-wiring. Their stupidity is our gain. These were Dali's top of the line in '07. |
My Ohm F5s I’ve had since 2008 are likely not going anywhere though I will be very interested to see what happens with Ohm now that the John Strohbeen era is over. Hoping Ohm is bought by someone who recognizes their unique value and invests to move things forward and take it to the next level, the way JS himself always wisely did slowly but surely over many years. |
My end game speaker is the monitor audio platinum 200 ll, and I will be rewiring the internal wire with OCC single crystal which will give me maybe a 15 to 20% improvement right across the board, OFC wire which most speaker companies use is junk, OCC single crystal is far superior for audio, I did it with my last monitor audio gold 300 G4 and I got a 10 to 15% improvement in everything. |
Depends on whether you’re talking about components/systems that you don’t feel the need to ever change, regardless of inclination/budget or those to which you have such an attachment that they’re going nowhere, ever. In the first category are my Martin Logan Spires (and Martin Logans in general). I’ve been tempted of late to change these for 15As, but every time I listen to them, I think, "Why would I want to change?". Budget probably won’t change though for a few years even if I change miming - I’m building a passivhaus, which is going to swallow all available resources (as an aside there, our passivhaus consultant deeply disapproves of valve and Class A amps - or would if they knew what they were 😆). In the former are my Spendor BC1s and accompanying Quad 33/303 - I bought these in 1977/78 as a student and they’re most definitely keepers. I also have the astonishingly synergistic combo of Tom Evans/Graham Fowler’s amp. designs: the Finestra 3-box preamp and the Alecto II+ monoblocs, plus Hydraulic Reference turntable |
There is no such thing as "end game" for speakers. There are just way too many designs with all kinds of sound signatures at various pricepoints...all with their strengths and weaknesses at any pricepoint. There are a whole bunch of models released every year....i.e. no end game. However, there is such a thing as the end of a dude's wallet. When a dude's wallet ends ("end game"!), he tries to convince himself psychologically that he's got his "end game" speaker, etc... Yeah,..yeah...we know all about that schpeel dude...🤣 |
I would agree with the folks who are very happy, but if the 'money-fairy' dropped a load on them, they'd look again, and some merely higher in the brand they love. It seems like many missed the point. "YOUR end-of-game loudspeakers". Not the best that exist. We argue about that crap all the time. It was about personal end-of-game which I thought was a great premise... and leave d.i.y. bragging out...
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For the amount of money I'm willing to spend, some JBL L100 Classics will likely be my "end game" speaker, but everyone is "recently" saying that open baffle designs are "da bomb" and never say never until you've heard some, so yeah, I might go that route one day. As one guy said, "your end game speakers are the ones in your listening room on the day you die". |
